Author's Note: Hello, again, my wonderful readers! I see you've come to read this chapter. Yes, I am updating. Okay, this update is actually semi-consistent so let's all give me a round of applause for that.

(crickets chirping)

Okay, well, I suppose I deserve that for all I've put you through with the delay in the last few chapters. Regardless, I'm proud of myself for getting this one out in a respectable time frame.

I would like to start out by saying that Jacob and Leah have a fairly strong friendship. I'd like to think they grew a little bit closer in their time together than the book/movie reveals.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters or storylines, I just happen to write fanfiction for it. I do lay claim to my own thoughts, plots, and O/C's though!

Please, enjoy!

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Chapter Five

Leah looked Jacob up and down before whistling lowly.

"Somebody's sugar daddy has been treating them good, huh?" she joked, motioning to his clothes. He was wearing what appeared to be a pair of designer jeans, an expensive button up, and a leather jacket. There was a good chance that his boots were worth more than Sue's car. Jake probably didn't appreciate the handouts, even if he'd accepted them. Their people weren't raised to take charity from others. The Quileute tribe was too proud; too determined to remain independent even when standing in the face of poverty. Still, she had to admit that living with the Cullens was the rich life if there ever was one and Jacob was clearly being treated to that.

He tugged on his jacket uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, they said I had to look like part of the family to fit in. And Rosalie refused to even go out in public with Ness and me unless I got dressed in something other than a t-shirt and shorts." She tried not to frown. The power of an imprint: if it hurt Renesmee to be without Rosalie, then it hurt Jacob. He would do whatever it took to appease the bitchy vampire for the sake of his imprint, even if it wasn't at all what he wanted.

Leah tried to push her distaste for the forces beyond their control aside. Jake was happy and that was all that mattered.

"Well, I'm surprised she didn't just go ahead and build you a doghouse," she quipped, remembering the sour blond's attitude toward's their kind. Jacob laughed. The unpleasant vampire was probably her least favorite of the Cullen clan, not that any of them actually landed anywhere in her good books. Still, that particular leech chose to cast her best and brightest bitch face Leah's way one too many times for it to be easily forgotten.

"Oh, she tried. But she sure didn't like Ness not talking to her for a month," he said with a smirk.

Leah's jaw dropped.

"She actually built you a doghouse?" she asked incredulously. Jake nodded. "Well, goddamn." That was a low one, even for a vampire. Jacob chuckled and shrugged.

"I'm used to her being a bitch most of the time. Everyone else is pretty nice, they just keep to themselves. Honestly, living with the Cullen's hasn't been all that bad."

"But what about - ?" Leah pointed at her nose and tapped it with an overly disgusted look on her face.

He smiled cheekily at her antics, rolling his eyes. "After having to smell them every day, all day, you actually get used to it. It's not as bad as you think. Plus they don't stink as bad as normal bloodsuckers."

Leah had to agree with him about that. The Cullen's scent wasn't as potent as from a normal vampire that drank human blood. Still, it wasn't a walk in the park to have to endure it for long periods of time either. Simply remembering the days in Jake's pack, when she'd needed to constantly remain on their putrid smelling land, made her nose start burning.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Leah said. She almost felt sad as the words left her lips. Sure, Jacob hadn't really aged, but he was still different. His face had fully formed into adulthood, cheekbones high and jaw defined. His eyes were different - as if they had aged in wisdom. Surely, he had seen his share of the world traveling with the Cullen's. And even before he left, he'd witnessed enough truths of the universe to add ten years of experience to his life. Leah had missed him. She really had. In some ways, she regretted cutting him out of her life for so long, but in the end, it had been what was best for her.

"It has been a while," he agreed, his voice reminiscent as if his thoughts were somewhat similar to hers. He cleared his throat. "But you look good. And you seem good. I want to know about how your life has been away from here. I heard about you leaving La Push before I took off." Jacob stared off into the trees, a serious look on his face. "I know why you didn't say goodbye. I didn't stop and say goodbye to anyone whenever I took off that first time. I couldn't."

If there was anyone who she felt comfortable having this conversation with, besides her own family, it was Jacob. He understood more than most the hardship of healing a broken heart. Granted, his object of choice had been Bella. Who, in Leah's opinion, wasn't a good choice at all. But as they say, 'the heart wants what the heart wants' and falling in love, only to be ripped out of it, hurt regardless of who it was with. Jacob had suffered, but unlike Leah, he'd been gifted the 'get out of jail' free card - an imprint. That was a different curse, in its own way. Still, in terms of healing a broken heart, it worked as the mother of all bandaids.

Before joining Jacob's pack, she hadn't really been all too sympathetic to his plight concerning Swan and her obsessions with getting her blood sucked. It was too hard to see outside of her own pain to recognize someone else's. However, once she'd left Sam's pack, pledged her allegiance to Jake, and their conjoined thoughts got a little more quiet, they began to really listen to each other. They understood one another a little better every day. He became a worthy alpha, she a trustworthy beta, and they both became close friends.

"Thank you for understanding. And I want to know all about your life too, Jake. I want to know where you've gone, what you've done - how things have been for you," Leah said warmly, giving him a small smile. There was a pull to him, same as there ever was. Even before breaking off from Sam's pack, it was always there. All of the wolves felt it. Jacob was the rightful alpha and nature demanded their loyalty to him. Except now, she had the friendship to back that loyalty up.

He shifted and the stench of chemicals and roses and burnt sugar drifted harshly into her nose.

Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "The howl!"

"What?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"It must have been for you and the Cullen's." Leah felt some relief realizing there was no immediate danger in the midst. All her worrying had been for nothing. "I heard a howl yesterday when Paul and I were on the beach," she explained further.

Jacob looked confused. "Why were you with Paul? Don't you two hate each other?"

Leah shrugged. "A lot has changed, Jake. I'm different. He seems different. And besides, you and I hated each other at one point and time. And here we are. Everyone deserves a chance." Jacob nodded thoughtfully, though his brow was still creased with doubt. Times had changed, and hopefully for the better. She could admit that two years ago, hanging out with Paul would be the last thing on her to-do list, right after streaking at a Pow-wow and making out with a vampire. But now, she was on her way to building a bridge with Paul, one that had never been there before. Besides, she had to admit, so far he had been a pretty fun person to be around.

Leah turned their conversation back on track, trying to determine if shit was about to hit the fan or not. "They must know you're here. Have you talked to Sam yet?" she questioned.

Sam was bound to make this a bigger deal of this than it was and she hoped that Jake could get a handle on it before the current alpha made any rash decisions.

Jacob bit his lip. "About a week ago, I told my dad I would be coming home to visit with a few of the Cullen's and that they would be staying on their land, regardless of if the treaty was intact or not. He said he would pass on the message to the council." Well, that was good. At least the wolves knew that it wasn't a random vampire running rampant too close to the Rez.

Leah paused to consider if Sam would take it as an insult he wasn't informed by Jacob personally. He probably would. He wasn't the 'hear it through the grapevine' type of person. Getting told the news by a group of old men rather than by the one person who could easily take his position as alpha would likely be taken as a challenge to his authority.

Leah sighed. "I think you might need to go do some damage control with Sam."

Jake released a heavy breath. He ran a hand through his hair. It was still cropped short - as short as the day she last saw him. "Come with me?" he asked, an air of almost desperation to his tone. Jake truly didn't not desire the role of a leader or a diplomat. However, he shouldered the burden of those title's far too often for someone who didn't want them. She knew he wouldn't ask her to come face to face with Sam unless he really needed someone to stand by his side.

"Don't worry alpha, your beta's got your back. I'll protect you from the big, bad Sam," Leah joked.

"I'll hold you to that. If he's as pissed as I think he's going to be, I'll probably need it."

XXXXX

"You should have called and told me yourself."

Sam side-eyed Leah viciously as if she personally had something to do with Jake's and the Cullen's reappearance. She didn't, but he could think that all he wanted if it helped add to his stressload by even a little bit.

She tried to remind herself that she and Jake were playing nice and that she herself was beyond such trivial thoughts. It did bring her some satisfaction though to watch the vein in his forehead throb with each angry hammer of his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, Sam. But I appropriately informed the council, which is all I really had to do. There was no immediate threat. And not all of them are back, just a few, so it shouldn't activate the gene in any new wolves," Jacob explained, arms crossed over his chest.

"Are there more coming?"

"No."

"And are you staying?"

"Not for long."

Leah watched all of this with calm eyes. There was nothing she could really do except offer Jake her support and intervene if in the small chance a fight broke out. She doubted that would happen though. Sam would have to be the dumbest Alpha in the world to phase in his front of his home with a pregnant imprint inside and several wolves eavesdropping from both in and out of the house. Plus, even though his home was on the outskirts of the reservation, he still had a few neighbors that lived a little too close for comfort.

Sam stood up to his full height, flexing his bare arms and chest. Leah had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "If you stay, you know what that means."

Jacob's body stiffened and she could almost feel his distaste at the other man's behavior. She didn't know why Sam was challenging him and sizing him up when they both knew who would win in a fight. Sam should be taking Jake's words with grace and thanking his lucky stars he got be alpha for another day.

"I'm not staying. But I will be here for a couple weeks. Maybe even a month. And I want to be able to come and go freely from my home without a problem," Jacob growled.

Suddenly, Paul walked out from the house. His hair was wet and his body was actually clean as if he had just showered. He probably had, the facilities and the beds in this house were always open to any of the pack who needed them.

"Sam, everything is fine. It's business as usual. The trail we caught was on their side of the border and it wasn't anything we weren't expecting. We just didn't know they would be back so soon," Paul chimed in, sounding calm.

Leah was surprised at Paul's rational reasoning. He locked eyes with her, a small grin playing at his lips. He looked rather appealing right now. There was that devilish look in his eyes and water was still dripping from his chest. His shorts hung low on his body and… wait a minute. Was she checking out Paul Lahote? No, she wasn't. Okay, well, maybe she was.

Why now, after all this time, was Paul suddenly appealing to her in this way? Leah had to acknowledge that there was some sort of strange attraction growing for him, if only fleeting. Now wasn't the time to ponder this newfound revelation though, so she stowed that information away for later evaluation.

She peeled her eyes away from him and back to Sam. He certainly was far less pleasant to look at. It seemed Paul's words had caused the vein in his forehead to pop almost right out of his skull and beads of sweat were forming at his brow.

Jacob sighed, choosing to be the better man and back down. "Look, Sam. I don't want any trouble. Only Edward, Bella, and Ness are back. We won't be here for too long. I just want some time with my dad and Bella wants some time with hers."

Those words helped to calm Sam down, but he was still riled up. Paul came to flank him, a loyal second even if he didn't agree with his alpha's actions at the moment. This seemed to put Sam further at ease, knowing there was a fellow wolf by his side, ready to back him up if he needed it.

Sam's harsh eyes flicked to Leah. "And did you know? That he was coming back?" he demanded.

She really wanted to say yes and watch his feathers get even more ruffled, but he was finally simmering down after being on full boil so she decided not to stoke the fire. "No, I didn't. I was in the woods and we came across each other," Leah answered simply.

"Then why are you here?" Sam asked. The question came out with less anger than the previous one, but nonetheless it sounded insulting. It didn't hurt her, not like it used to, but she still had to actively work to brush it aside. It was a fight everyday not to feed the anger that never truly died inside her.

"I asked Leah to come with me," Jacob defended, his voice suddenly hot with rage. "And she can be here if she wants to or not. It's her choice, not yours."

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Paul interrupted. "She's part of the pack, forever and always, whether she phases or not. So she's welcome here. That's how we treat all the wolves, former and present, so that's how we treat her, Sam." His voice came out even and smooth as if he was stating facts. The declaration probably wouldn't upset an alpha coming from his second, but it was clear as day what Paul was doing: he was defending her. Whether Sam liked it or not.

Leah didn't need defending though. She was strong. She appreciated her pack members sticking up for her, especially after past bad blood shared between all of them. But she wasn't a damsel in distress. Hell, she was the girl who saved the damsel in distress.

Leah stepped forward, standing tall and doing her best to keep her expression neutral. "I didn't come here as a challenge to you, Sam. I didn't come here as anything except a friend to Jake. I knew less than you did about his arrival, but that doesn't matter. A fellow pack member has returned and we should be glad to see him, not shun him away." Leah was surprised at the power in her voice. At one time, her words were only punctuated by anger, but now they resonated not only with truth, but with confidence. Sam seemed, surprisingly, to be paying rapt attention. He didn't immediately interrupt her, like she thought he would, so she continued, standing her ground. "History has told us to hate the cold ones that live to the land across from us, but we also wrote our own history, if you can remember. Vampires and shifters have united, more than once, against a common enemy. Please keep in mind that the Cullen's have always stood with us, not against."

After she finished, Sam stayed quiet for a moment. His face played a range of emotions. It flipped between anger, confusion, and thoughtfulness. It never quite settled on one, but he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, drawn from their collective reasonings, as he turned away from her to glare at Jacob.

"They stay on their side of the border."

"Done."

Sam's eyes flicked to both of theirs, but he chose to hold Jake's gaze longer, sizing him up in a clear attempt to intimidate. Finally, he pulled away, his jaw setting. Sam took one quick look at Paul, and without another word, turned to walk back into the house.

Leah breathed out a sigh of relief. Sam wouldn't be careless enough to start a war between the Cullens and the wolves. Jacob's imprint was a secondary guard against that, though it wasn't foolproof. The law simply stated that a wolf couldn't cause harm to another's imprint, but should the need arise, there were ways around that rule concerning the imprint's family. Like if Sam deemed the safety of the tribe at stake, for example.

Leah didn't think he would go so far as to do something so extreme over an egotistical squabble, but Sam could make life very difficult in other ways. In fact, Jacob simply being here was a challenge to his role as alpha. He no doubt would take any precautionary measures necessary to ensure his rule reigned above all, regardless of the ramifications of his actions.

She couldn't help feeling a little vindication after that whole ordeal. She had to admit that the old Leah still very much liked to see Sam riled up. It was something she needed to work on. It was petty, but she figured she would indulge in her pettiness just this once and take pleasure in the fact that Sam had been knocked down a few pegs.

But the new Leah was simply proud - proud that she stood her ground and did so without anger. She didn't entice a fight and or lash out. A couple years ago, a meeting like this would have ended a lot differently. Mostly likely, in tears or teeth.

"Well, that went smoothly," she commented quietly.

"You can say that again," Jacob mumbled. He ran a hand over his face. He must have missed his family to come back, but she was sure that after everything that just happened, he probably didn't miss the pack politics. He turned to her, seeming so much more tired than he had been less than an hour ago. "Listen, I need to go talk to the Cullen's about this. But we'll catch up another time, okay?"

Leah smiled at him and waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Your imprint comes first. You know where to find me."

Paul was watching them closely, squinting his eyes. He didn't say anything though. She nodded to him, a silent thanks for keeping a calm head in all of this. He titled his chin towards her, then to Jake.

"Good to see you again, man," Paul said gruffly.

Jake smiled faintly back at him. "You too, man. I'll see you around." They held shared a quick look, something silent passing between them, before both men turned away.

Leah stepped forward for a hug. "See you soon, Jake," she said.

"Later, Leah," he murmured as he embraced her. As soon as he stepped away, he started jogging toward the woods in the direction of the border.

It occurred to her that she didn't know what she wanted to do. Leah had the house to herself for the rest of the day, but that didn't necessarily mean she wanted to go there. She briefly wondered if Paul was free. It would be nice to spend some time with someone after keeping mostly to herself for two years.

Suddenly, Leah remembered her wanton thoughts about her packmate from earlier. Maybe she should take the time to sort out her emotions before she spent anymore close contact time with Paul again. That would certainly be the smart idea.

She looked from him to the road uncertainly, unsure if she should head home or not.

Paul stepped forward with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, Clearwater. If I remember correctly, I think you owe me a raincheck."

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Andddddddd that is it! For this chapter, anyway. I hope you all enjoyed it. We got some angsty conversation with Sam. A little Leah and Jake friendship. Also Paul coming in at the end there to save the day looking all sexy and shirtless. Well, I really do hope you had a good time reading this one as I had a good time writing it. I hope Sam doesn't come off as too much of a dick (he's still a dick) because he isn't a bad guy and I have room for character development in him.

Please, please, please follow/favorite/review! Thank you so much Glykal, Rialaea, brankel1 and my guests for your reviews. It really helped me push this chapter out, knowing that there were people still reading and enjoying this fic. As always, thank you to everyone for giving my story a chance. Goodbye for now, my lovely readers. Until next time. XOXO